Seasalt ice-cream and broken promises
by yougenkyou
Summary: Meeting for ice-cream is their daily routine, but lately Saix has been late. Early Organization!AkuSai.


It is getting late and Axel has already finished his ice-cream. The one he had bought fo Saix is melting in his hand and he has been licking at it to make sure it doesn't go completely to waste. _Just five more minutes_, he tells himself. Then he would portal back to the Castle.

When almost fifteen minutes has passed a portal opens on the clocktower and Saix steps out from it. He looks stressed and somewhat guilty (or maybe that is just wishful thinking—it wasn't as though Saix had been particularily good at emoting as of late).

"I'm sorry," he says, but he doesn't look as apologetic as Isa would have (then again, Isa wouldn't have been the one late for their meet ups—he was _always_ on time, but during the past few weeks he has been getting more and more late). "The Superior had a lot of paperwork for me today."

_Since when do you call him anything but Xemnas when you talk to me?_ Axel thinks, but out loud he says, "It's alright. I get it." He does, sort of. Saix hasn't been second in command for that long and it is a lot of pressure. Of course he would have it difficult making it for their meet-up place in a timely manner. Still, he cannot help but to feel a little hurt. Or at least—he _remembers_ what it was like to feel hurt, if he's supposed to believe Xemnas and the other senior members' claims that he cannot feel anymore. Almost three years with the Organization and he's still not so sure about that, or maybe it is just because there isn't a single part of him that trusts in anything the ones responsible for what happened to them and to Radiant Garden has to say.

He hands Saix the half-melted ice-cream. "I dunno if you still want it, but..." He gives a half-hearted smile and Saix takes the popsicle from him.

"It's fine." But he doesn't eat it—he just lets it melt until there is nothing left but a stick. A stick with a word written on it. "This stick says 'winner'," he says, frowning a bit. "What does that mean?"

Axel shrugs and peers over at it. "I dunno. You could ask the lady at the ice-cream stand tomorrow?"

"It's better if you do, since you will probably be here first," Saix says and his smile is a little sad as he gives the stick to Axel.

"Okay."

They remain on the clock tower for a while, both silent. It seems the first time they have nothing to say to one another.

* * *

The next day after his mission Axel does as suggested and asks the lady at the ice-cream stand what the winner stick means. She informs him that it means he'll get an extra ice-cream for free, but after yesterday he decides to wait to make use of it until he is certain that Saix will show up. Besides, Saix is the one who got the winner-stick in the first place so he should have final say.

Saix is late again. Not as much as yesterday, but Axel has just taken his last bite of the ice-cream when his friend shows up.

"The winner-stick means you get an extra ice-cream for free," is the first thing he says and makes a gesture to hand the stick back to Saix, but the Diviner shakes his head.

"You keep it. You can get one for me tomorrow."

"Okay. But you better be on time!" Axel tries to sound teasing, but it rings hollow.

"I will be," Saix says and tries to smile.

Axel wishes he could believe that.

* * *

Axel makes use of the winner-stick the next day and pays only for one ice-cream. Despite knowing better he hopes that Saix will keep his word and be on time today and he eats his ice-cream slowly. The taste has almost lost meaning to him, as though it isn't worth eating by himself.

Saix doesn't show up.

Axel huddles on the edge of the clocktower with Saix's uneaten ice-cream in his hand, watching as it melts. To his surprise he sees the word 'winner' written on this stick too. What are the odds of that? He sighs and pockets the stick before leaving through a portal.

Ten minutes after Axel has left Saix shows up and finds only traces of melted ice-cream where his best friend had just been.

* * *

When Saix doesn't show up again the next day Axel breaks the winner-stick in two and throws it off the ledge before he leaves.

* * *

The next time Axel sees Saix he looks different. His forehead is bandaged and only later does Axel get to see the X-shaped scar it hides, but what is even more chilling is the fact that his eye colour has changed from green to a terrifying yellow.

Saix won't tell him how it happened and Axel can practically feel the rift widening between them.

Neither of them return to the clocktower after that.


End file.
